Just because you’re not feeling very thirsty it doesn’t mean your body isn’t in need of water.

Getting enough water in your body is good for our muscles, skin and every organ in our body including our brains. When you are dehydrated your body is not properly circulating the oxygen and nutrients you need to feel your best. Our immune system also relies heavily on water so when you are not replacing the fluids you are naturally losing the nutrients and minerals you need to maintain good health are not being provided.

The obvious common symptoms of dehydration would be thirst and a dry, sticky mouth but there are other telltale signs including headaches, dizziness and lightheadedness. Here are five lesser known dehydration signs you should be aware of:

Feeling Hungry Between Meals

Mild dehydration can often result in the feeling of hunger. When you are dehydrated it causes confusion to the hypothalamus which is the part of our brain that regulates appetite and thirst. Before having a snack to satisfy your in-between meal huger, reach for a glass of water instead. In most cases your hungry feeling will likely fade meaning you actually needed water, not food, to satisfy your body.

Low Sweat Levels

When our bodies become too hot some of the extra heat is released through sweating. When dehydrated there isn’t enough water in our body to keep our core temperatures regulated, trapping the heat in our bodies making us overheated as our core temperatures rise.

Battling Bad Breath

Another little known but very unpleasant side effect of being dehydrated is bad breath. Saliva has antibacterial properties which prevents the bacterial overgrowth that leads to bad breath. If you are not drinking enough water your body is not making enough saliva to manage healthy bacteria levels resulting in bad breath.

Oily Skin Develops Dry Patches

Many people believe they have both dry and oily skin when in reality they have oily skin with dry patches due to not drinking enough water. When your body is not getting enough water your skin is responding accordingly by becoming dry. If you normally have oily skin but are noticing dry patches it is most likely due to mild hydration.

Gaining Weight When Dieting

Dehydration slows the metabolism which lowers the body’s ability to burn fat. A healthy balanced diet and exercise plan needs to include plenty of water so that you can lose weight instead of gaining it. Dehydration also encourages excessive calorie consumption and belly fat making water a key element in dieting efficiently. If you are putting on the pounds instead of losing them when dieting make sure you are getting plenty of water.

To maintain your health you need to stay properly hydrated. While water is key there are other ways you can add some hydration variety to your daily life and reduce your risk of dehydration. The wide mouth of the plastic-free Meshbottle makes it easy to add some fruit to your water and by infusing your water with fruit it will make water seem less boring plus it might get you to drink even more than you normally do. Another easy way to stay hydrated is with fruits and veggies which have a high water content so adding more of those to your diet will help you stay properly hydrated while at the same time benefiting from the additional health benefits they offer.